Marriott International has teamed with Samsung and Legrand to launch the hospitality industry’s Internet of Things (IoT) hotel room to inspire what it calls “the ultimate hotel experience of the future.”

The IoT Guestroom Lab – powered by Marriott’s Innovation Lab at the company’s corporate headquarters – creates a “smart” hotel room using multiple responsive IoT systems, devices and applications to communicate with one another to serve guests and optimize hotel operations. The technology inside the lab, for instance, a user to ask a virtual assistant for a 6:30 a.m. wake-up alarm, to start a yoga routine on a full-length mirror, request additional housekeeping services and start the shower at the desired temperature stored in their customer profile – all by voice or app.

Following the three-month-long IoT Guestroom Lab, Marriott, Samsung and Legrand will analyze feedback. Consumers will start to see elements of the technology in hotel rooms within the next five years.

The hotel room's smart mirror (left) can be set to automatically run a yoga routine for a guest.

“We know that our guests expect to personalize almost everything in their lives, and their hotel experience should be no different,” says Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer, Marriott International. “By teaming with best-in-class partners, we are leveraging mobile and voice-enabled technology to give our guests the ability to set up the room to best meets their needs – whether that is creating the ultimate relaxation environment or one that enables productivity for business travelers.”

“Together with Samsung and Legrand, we are well on our way to creating the hotel room of the future.”

— Karim Khalifa, Marriott

“At Samsung, we aspire to make life easier and better for our consumers, whether they’re at home or their home away from home,” says James Stansberry, senior vice president and general manager of ARTIK IoT, Samsung Electronics. “Partnering with Legrand and Marriott, we can offer users unprecedented levels of control and personalization, thanks to our end-to-end IoT services powered by the ARTIK platform and the SmartThings Cloud. From intuitive lighting to voice-activated room controls, we’re delivering customizable, intelligent experiences that make our consumers’ lives more convenient, productive and secure.”

“We’re proud to be innovating with industry leading partners to get closer to revolutionizing the guest experience, along with hotel operations and even hotel construction,” says Karim Khalifa, senior vice president, global design, Marriott International. “Together with Samsung and Legrand, we are well on our way to creating the hotel room of the future.”

“At Legrand, we offer a suite of power, light and data solutions that bring power and connectivity to previously untapped locations. Legrand is partnering with Marriott to improve the guest experience in a cost effective and intuitive manner. This work further supports our Eliot Program in North America, Legrand’s global IoT program that encompasses our ambition, drives our product innovation and fosters our partnership in the IoT space,” said Ken Freeman, Senior Vice President of Demand Creation, Legrand. “Legrand’s product portfolio can elevate a property by turning everyday features into lasting highlights. We are thrilled to collaborate with Marriott and Samsung to conceptualize and deliver on the future traveler’s needs.”

Marriott is working towards a future where hotel owners would have a seamless, transparent and flexible end-to-end solution that requires minimal equipment, while customers would enjoy an integrated experience with access to their own data and information, as well as accessible voice and mobile-optimized controls. Such systems would also benefit hotel operations and improve personalized service by, for instance, allowing staff to provide services at a guest’s desired time.

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About the Author

Jason has covered low-voltage electronics as an editor since 1990. He joined EH Publishing in 2000, and before that served as publisher and editor of Security Sales, a leading magazine for the security industry. He served as chairman of the Security Industry Association’s Education Committee from 2000-2004 and sat on the board of that association from 1998-2002. He is also a former board member of the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation. He is currently a member of the CEDIA Education Action Team for Electronic Systems Business. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California. Have a suggestion or a topic you want to read more about? Email Jason at jknott@ehpub.com